Method of fabrication of a photon sensor

ABSTRACT

A photon sensitive film resistor is provided having a resistance measured in megohms per centimeter. The method of fabrication insures that the resistance is uniformly distributed along the current path.

United States Patent [191 Ennulat et al.

[ METHOD OF FABRICATION OF A PHOTON SENSOR [75] Inventors: Reinhard D. Ennulat, Alexandria;

Paul LoVecchio, Reston; Wolfgang Elser, Alexandria, all of Va.; Philip R. Boyd, Upper Marlboro, Md.

[73] Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army, Washington, D.C.

22 Filed: Apr. 11, 1973 21] Appl. No.: 350,286

[52] US. Cl 29/574, 29/580, 29/620, 117/34, 156/8, 156/13, 156/17, 96/362, 338/18 [51] Int. Cl H0lc 7/10 [58] Field of Search 156/8, 17, 13; 96/362; 29/620, 580, 574; 338/15, 17, 18; 117/201,

[ Feb. 25, 1975 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,013,232 12/1961 Lubin 338/17 3,210,214 10/1965 Smith 156/8 3,492,621 1/1970 Yamada et al. 29/620 3,743,995 7/1973 Riedl et al. 338/18 3,745,072 7/1973 Scott, Jr 117/201 Primary ExaminerCharles E. Van Horn Assistant Examiner-Jerome W. Massie Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Robert P. Gibson; Nathan Edelberg; John E. Holford [57] ABSTRACT A photon sensitive film resistor is provided having a resistance measured in megohms per centimeter. The method of fabrication insures that the resistance is uniformly distributed along the current path.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures METHOD OF FABRICATION OF A PHOTON SENSOR The invention described herein may be manufactured, used, and licensed by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Also, such systems have no real-time capability, a necessity for many military and civilian tactical uses.

To overcome these limitations photon sensitive diode and photoconductors have been developed which are sensitive to photons of Wavelength greater than one micrometer. Because of the relatively fast response time of these detectors, both to light-on and light-offconditions, they have been incorporated into real-time systems. The disadvantage of these systems has been their requirement for mirrors to scan the field of view. This requirement adds to the weight and power requirements of the final system, in addition to degrading the mechanical ruggedness of the system.

The next generation of infrared viewing systems foresees the elimination of these mechanical scan mirrors. This will require a high density of infrared sensitive detectors over a relatively large area (approximately 1 inch squared). Such detectors, if photoconductive, must have a high resistivity in the direction of the plane on which they are deposited if adequate frame storage times are to be achieved. Presently, the lead salt detectors, if formed by repeated depositions, can exhibit a high resistivity perpendicular to the plane on which they are deposited. The problem of increasing their resistivity in the direction of the plane on which they are deposited is addressed by this invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION the film thereby making more efficient use of the cryogenic heat sink on which the sensor may be mounted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention is best understood with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a substrate with a coating of photoconductive material and superposed photoresist material;

FIG. 2 shows the same substrate after etching and removal of the photoresist;

FIG. 3 shows the structure from FIG. 2 after similar processing steps which produced the FIG. 1 structure are repeated;

FIG. 4 shows the FIG. 3 structure after the process steps associated with FIG. 2 are repeated;

FIG. 5 shows the FIG. 4 structure with ohmic contacts cemented to the substrate and a final coating of semiconductor; and

FIG. 6 shows the structure of the sensor after a final etching.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A typical IR sensor element may be square in shape with lateral dimensions of 50 microns and a thickness of 1 micron. Such elements are mounted in arrays, including one dimensional arrays, where the elements may number in the hundreds. The array is preferably cooled by cryogenic devices to a very low temperature. It is preferred that these elements exhibit a high resistance to match the high input impedance of smallsignal amplifying devices to which they are coupled. As stated above lead selenide sensors currently available have resistances in the 5,000 ohm range, while resistances of many millions of ohms are required for maximum efficiency. Several methods of depositing a lead salt detector and oxidizing it are shown by H. Wilman in the Proceedings of the Physical Society, Vol. 60, Part 2, No. 3381, 1 Feb. 1948. Other methods are shown by T. H. Johnson in US. Pat. No. 3,178,312, 13 Apr. 1965. The chemical reactions involved, per se, are old and are not the basis of the present invention. Rather the invention lies in the mechanical operations of masking and the repeated use of standard processing techniques.

FIG. 1 shows a substrate member 11 which provides a base for sensors as described above and which is also used in the present invention. This member is a few millimeters thick and is made'from a highly insulating material compatible with lead selenide processing such as quartz, sapphire or strontium titanate. A layer 12 of lead selenide is deposited by any known means. A commercially available photoresist material such as KODAK MICRO-NEG is applied to the exposed flat mirror-like surface of the lead selenide and a light pattern of equally spaced fine lines 13 a few microns wide with spacings many times one line width is projected on the photoresist. After the photoresist is developed, the unprotected portions of the lead selenide are removed by a suitable etchant such as H 0 KOH, or ethyleneglycol.

FIG. 2 shows the structure of the barlike channels 21 of lead selenide that remain after etching. The etchant is applied for a sufficient length of time to remove the unprotected lead selenide completely down to the substrate, which is unaffected by its chemical action. The photoresist is removed after etching using the chemicals recommended by the photoresist manufacturer.

FIG. 3 shows the resulting structure when the above steps are repeated. The layer 31 of lead selenide is shown approximately twice as thick between channels 21 in order to provide flat working surface, but it is actually only necessary that the surfaces of channels 21 be coated to the desired thickness. The stripes of photoresist are increased in width by approximately a factor of three to protect additional layers on both sides of the channels 21. The stripes of course always have their centerlines in the same parallel planes normal to the substrate.

FIG. 4 shows the structure obtained after a second etching of the unprotected lead selenide. A new channe14l has been formed around the original channel 21.

- The dim'ensions of the channels as shown are much nesting channels can be built up before the spacing between nested sets of channels becomes approximately equal to the thickness of a channel layer.

I FIG. 5 shows the resulting structure after the last layer of lead selenide is deposited. Before this layer 51 is deposited, an-ohmic contact 52'is attached to each end of the substrate, so that. layer 51 fills in the spaces between sets'of channels and the ohmic contacts. Nor mal processing procedures create a sizable amount of resistance at the interfaces between the layers. Oxidation in a controlled atmosphere and at selected temperatures will provide many orders of magnitude greater resistance in the interface region as compared to the resistance of lead selenide material. It can readily be seen that the current paths nearest thelast layer encompass fewer of the interfaces than a path nearer the substrate. And even though the last layer provides direct conduction, the average resistance of all the layers will be much greater than a single layer of lead selenide having the same thickness. Theresistance can be increased by etching through the last layer leaving the portions thereof'near the substrate. This etching can be continued through successive layers producing a steady -increase in resistance of the structure between the ohmic contacts; Timing is important in performing this step. By alternately etching and measuring the resistance between the ohmic contacts penetration of each layer can be detected. The ohmiccontacts may be gold,

silver, copper or other low resistance material.

FIG. 6 shows thestructure that results when parts of all of the-layers are etched away. Obviously this is highest resistance obtainable. Every available interface resistance is involved in every current path. Once an acceptable level of resistance is achieved, the resistance can be trimmed mechanically by reducing the overall width of the sensor element, i.e. the longest dimension of the lead selenide channels. The resistance can also be controlled over a narrow range by doping the lead selenide with group III or V materials.

Obviously many variations of the disclosed methods and resultance structures will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, but the invention is limited only as specified in the claims which follow.

We claim:

1. A method for the fabrication of an IR sensing element comprising the steps of: depositing a first continuous layer of photoconductive materials having an exposed outer-surface on a nonconductive substrate; applying uniform spaced parallel stripes of photoresist material to said planar surface, the width of the spaces between said stripes being many times the width of said stripes;

applying an etchant to the unprotected photoconductive material to expose the portions of the substrate covered thereby;

removing the photoresist to expose the remaining channels of said photoconductive material;

oxidizing the exposed surface of the photoconductive material remaining to increase its interface resistance;

depositing a subsequent layer of said photoconductive material on said nonconductive substrate and channels remaining from preceding steps;

applying a subsequent set of uniform parallel stripes oftphotoresist material over said channelsand at least aportion of exposed substrate adjoining the long edges thereof;

etching away exposed portions of said subsequent layer;

removing the photoresist from said subsequent layer;

oxidizing said subsequent layer;

repeating the above. steps involved in forming said subsequent layer using progressively wider stripes of photoresist material on each subsequent layer of photoconductive material until their width approximates their initial spacing;

attaching a pair of ohmic contacts to the opposite edges of said substrate parallel to but spaced from said channels;

depositing a final continuous layer of photoconductive material over the last subsequent layer and at least a portion of the surface of said contacts providing a final exposed surface; and

alternately etching said final exposed surface and measuring the resistance between said ohmic contacts until the resistance of the sensing element increases to at least several megohms.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein;

the width of the stripes of photoresist material are varied from a few microns to orders of magnitude greater widths.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein;-

the stripes of photoresist material are applied using photographic image reduction projection techniques.

- 4. The method according to claim 1 wherein; the photoconductive material is lead selenide. 5. The method according to claim 1 including the further step of:

mechanically reducing the longest dimensions of said channels to provide a final trimming of the overall resistance. 

1. A METHOD FOR THE FABRICATION OF AN IR SENSING ELEMENT COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: DEPOSITING A FIRST CONTINUOUS LAYER OF PHOTOCONDUCTIVE MATERIALS HAVING AN EXPOSED OUTER-SURFACE ON A NONCONDUCTIVE SUBSTRATE; APPLYING UNIFORM SPACED PARALLEL STRIPES OF PHOTORESIST MATERIAL TO SAID PLANAR SURFACE, THE WIDTH OF THE SPACES BETWEEN SAID STRIPES BEING MANY TIMES WITH THE WIDTH OF SAID STRIPES; APPLYING AN ETHCANT TO THE UNPROTECTED PHOTOCONDUCTIVE MATERIAL TO EXPOSE THE PORTIONS OF THE SUBSTRATE COVERED THEREBY; REMOVING THE PHOTORESIST TO EXPOSE THE REMAINING CHANNELS OF SAID PHOTOCONDUCTIVE MATERIAL; OXIDIZING THE EXPOSED SURFACE OF THE PHOTOCONDUCTIVE MATERIAL REMAINING TO INCREASE ITS INTERFACE RESISTANCE DEPOSITING A SUBSEQUENT LAYER OF SAID PHOTOCONDUCTIVE MATERIAL ON SAID NONCONDUCTIVE SUBSTRATE AND CHANNELS REMAINING FROM PRECEDING STEPS; APPLYING A SUBSEQUENT SET OF UNIFORM PARALLEL STRIPES OF PHOTORESIST MATERIAL OVER SAID CHANNELS AND AT LEAST A PORTION OF EXPOSED SUBSTRATE ADJOINING THE LONG EDGES THEREOF; ETCHING AWAY EXPOSED PORTIONS OF SAID SUBSEQUENT LAYER; REMOVING THE PHOTORESIST FROM SAID SUBSEQUENT LAYER; OXIDIZING SAID SUBSEQUENT LAYER, REPEATING THE ABOVE STEPS INVOLVED IN FORMING SAID SUBSEQUENT LAYER USING PROGRESSIVELY WIDER STRIPES OF PHOTORESIST MATERIAL ON EACH SUBSEQUENT LAYER OF PHOTOCONDUCTIVE MATERIAL UNTIL THEIR WIDTH APPROXIMATES THEIR INITIAL SPACING; ATTACHING SAID PAIR OF OHMIC CONTACTS TO THE OPPOSITE EDGES OF SAID SUBSTRATE PARALLEL TO BUT SPACED FROM SAID CHANNELS, DEPOSITING A FINAL CONTINUOUS LAYRE OF PHOTOCONDUCTIVE MATERIAL OVER THE LAST SUBSEQUENT LAYER AND AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE SURFACE OF SAID CONTACTS PROVIDING A FINAL EXPOSED SURFACE; AND ALTERNATELY ETHCING SAID FINAL EXPOSED SURFACE AND MEASURING THE RESISTANCE BETWEEN SAID OHMIC CONTACTS UNTIL THE RESISTANCE OF THE SENSING ELEMENT INCREASES TO AT LEAST SEVERAL MEGOHMS.
 2. The method according to claim 1 wherein; the width of the stripes of photoresist material are varied from a few microns to orders of magnitude greater widths.
 3. The method according to claim 1 wherein; the stripes of photoresist material are applied using photographic image reduction projection techniques.
 4. The method according to claim 1 wherein; the photoconductive material is lead selenide.
 5. The method according to claim 1 including the further step of: mechanically reducing the longest dimensions of said channels to provide a final trimming of the overall resistance. 